Jesse’s Season Expectations for the Cleveland Browns
With new Head Coach Todd Monken finally getting a shot, he will have an eager fan base craving wins almost instantly. I’ll admit off the bat, I was not a fan of the Monken hire. It is important to note though that the Browns are rebuilding again…..Fans like myself are tired of hearing it, but it is the reality. We are not fit to win until we answer the quarterback question. Monken went 1–2 in the preseason and fans have hope for some rookies and some of the younger players. It is important though to understand what we need to see from Monken even with the holes in our team.
We rebuilt the offensive line, and even then, there are big questions about how they will handle themselves. As mentioned earlier, there are questions on the offensive line, although, adding Elgton Jenkins, rookies Austin Barber and Spencer Fano seem to be great additions. The Browns also have a new Defensive Coordinator and they no longer have elite pass rusher Myles Garrett. We will see if the new scheme on defense will be as successful as the Jim Schwartz scheme was the past few seasons. Slot corner is a hole in the defense. Pass rush is a question as well with losing All Pro Myles Garrett, we have to see how Jared Verse handles being on this new team, not to mention Alex Wright being out for the year because of an injury. And of course, the long question for the Browns, is the hole at quarterback. Fans are tired of Deshaun Watson, and Monken needs to be weary about how long he leaves him in if they lose right off the bat.
With this in mind, we have to put realistic expectations on the Browns. There are rumors of them being a sleeper team, but I realistically don’t see that being the case. The expectation I have is just to see a better offense. In the past 2 seasons, the Browns only scored 20 or more points 9 times and only had a 300 yard passer in 4 games. Shedeur Sanders was the only quarterback for the Browns last season to pass for more than 300 yards in a game and that was against the Titans. Everyone knows Watson’s time in Cleveland is almost over, fans want to see Sheduer out there to actually see what he can bring to the table in this new offense, although both quarterbacks had some troubling highlights in preseason. Odds are they will draft a quarterback in next year’s draft as it seems to be favorable for that position. As a Browns fan though, what’s done is done, and we got to see what he can bring to the table and see if we can actually move the ball. I want to see the Browns be competitive and not just a team to get steamrolled. I know this isn’t a playoff team, but my expectations for the Browns is to be at least a 6 win team.
Let’s look at their schedule and I’m going to give my predictions on how well they’ll do. Based on last year’s records, the Browns have the easiest schedule in the NFL this season.
Week 1: @Jaguars — W — I have the Browns winning this one, I think the Jaguars is one of the teams I actually think got worse this offseason and I wasn’t a fan of their draft.
Week 2: @ Buccaneers — L — I think this game will actually be closer than some believe, but I think Baker finally gets his revenge on Cleveland.
Week 3: vs Carolina — W — Another close game, but the Panthers is a team that got better last year, but I don’t think they can get much better with Bryce Young.
Week 4: vs Steelers — L — The only reason we beat them last year is because they were scared of Garrett, that is no longer a fear, and the Steelers improved mightily this offseason in my opinion.
Week 5: @ Jets — W — Another close game, I really have this as a toss up, but if we have at least a decent defense the Browns should win.
Week 6: vs Ravens — L — This team is just too loaded. I’m predicting a sweep by Baltimore and Pittsburgh this season.
Week 7: @ Titans — L — Another toss up game, I think the Titans have improved from last year, if this was the first or second game of the season, I would predict a W, but the Titans I think will be rolling at this point.
Week 8: @ Steelers — L — Again, the Steelers are too improved, and the Browns won’t be able to play with them for 60 minutes.
Week 9: @ Saints — L — This is a close game as well. Another toss up game, I just think the Saints have more talent in the skill position and better in the trenches.
Week 10: vs Texans — L — The defense is just too elite, and the Browns have struggled against DeMeco Ryans team.
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: vs Raiders — W — I think the Browns will win, but again, it will be close. I think the Raiders just lack weapons outside of Jeanty and Bowers.
Week 13: vs Bengals — W — We tend to split with the Bengals, and I’ll hold true to that and have the Browns win the home game. With a new team though, this could shift.
Week 14: vs Falcons — W — I think Browns have something to prove against their old coach. The Falcons have faced many injuries already, and like the Raiders, outside of Bijan, Pitts, and Drake London, not much skill talent.
Week 15: @ Giants — L — I think the Giants will do better than some people think. At this point in the season I think Harbaugh will have it figured out.
Week 16: @ Ravens — L — Again, Ravens are too loaded for the Browns to keep up with them, I think they will play a lot better defense this year as well.
Week 17: vs Colts — L — This game will be close, the Browns could come away with it, I just don’t think our defense will be that good.
Week 18: @ Bengals — L — As mentioned, I think we’ll split with the Bengals, this game could be a W if the Bengals have already made the playoffs and they put in their 2nd string players.
My Prediction: 6–11
My expectations for Monken is too at least win 5 games this season, which should still put them in a prime position to draft a good quarterback if that is the route they choose to take.
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Author — Jesse Robertson(Benchwarmer Broadcasting Co-host)